Cigarette case



Oct.v 13, 1953 J. WEIVGLER CIGARETTE CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 5, 1950 John Wei-g/er INVENTOR.

J. WEIGLER CIGARETTE CASE 2 sheets-snee*u 2 Filed March 5, 1950 vii 5 l i m\.lom D Ml Q w Q .n n vw Q v Q John Weg/er v INVENToR.

BY l-*fzff-m Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in cigarette cases and more particularly to cigarette ejecting means for the case.

An important object of the invention is to provide a cigarette case composed of a pair of hingedly connected sides in each of which cigarettes may be loaded to form a pair of independent magazines and providing each magazine with ejecting means operating to eject cigarettes singly from either magazine without necessitating opening the case.

Another object is to construct a cigarette ejecting case which may be held and operated by one hand.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is neat and attractive in appearance, eilicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details lof construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation showing the case open and with the spring actuated follower plate feeding the cigarettes toward the dispensing end of the case;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the follower locked for loading one of the magazines;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the case;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View taken on a line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on a line 6 6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on a line 1 1 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on a line 8 8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the follower plates; and

Figure 10A is a perspective view of one of the follower actuating springs.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 5 and 6 designate the two sides of a pocket cigarette case which are hingedly connected toeach other at their inner ends by r 2 a piano type hinge 1 for opening and closing the sides of the case one against the other.

Each side of the case is of tray-like construction to form magazines 3 and 9 for holding cigarettes I0 in side by side position and a single partition II is also swingably connected to the hinge 1 and is swingable against the open side of either magazine for Iseparating the groups of cigarettes in the two magazines.

The cigarettes are fed toward the outer end of each magazine by a feed mechanism designated at I2 and comprising a V-shaped leaf spring I3 forming legs I4 and I5, the leg I4 being pivoted at its free end on a pin I6 adjacent the inner end of the magazine and with the legs I4 and I5 positioned substantially longitudinally with respect to the cigarettes, as shown in Figure 3. an opening I1 receiving a triangular shaped lug I8 adjacent one end and projecting from the rear face of an elongated follower plate I9 positioned parallel to the cigarettes between the rearmost cigarette and the leg I5 of the follower spring I3.

The end pf plate I9 adjacent lug I8 is formed with a T-shaped slide having the ends of its arms 2| sliding in a channeled guide track 22 secured in the adjacent side of the magazine. A second triangular shaped lug 23 projects from slide 20 in co-planar relation to and spaced from lugv I8 and between Which the end of leg I5 is held and bears against the inclined edge of lug 23 as follower plate I9 advances toward the outer end o-f the magazine. The arms` 2I of slide 20 are square in cross section and fit closely in guide track 22 and lug 23 constitutes a shoe which rides in the track to prevent twisting of the plate I9 and to thus hold the follower plate I9 parallel to the cigarettes.

The legs Ill and I5 are locked to each other to hold the spring I3 from cigarette feeding movement at the rear end of the magazine fo-r loading the same by a hook or oat-ch 24 on one edge of leg I4 engaging a notch 25 in the adjacent edge of leg I5. The edge of leg I5 adjacent notch 25 is formed with an outwardly projecting lug 2S. Leg l5 is forced downwardly to release catch 24 by pressure on lug 26 by the finger of a person or by the closing of partition II on the related magazine to engage lug 26 and thus release leg I5.

The outer end of each magazine 8 and 9 is provided with an elongated ejector housing 21 and 28, each housing having a bore 29 for a coil spring 30 bearing against an ejector 3| slid- The free end of leg I5 is formed with ing in a slot 32 in the housing. The ejector is formed with a flat plate 33 projecting into the magazine at the adjacent end of track 22 for engaging the end of the foremost cigarette and a finger engaging slide 34 projects from the ejector outwardly through a slot 35 in the outer end of the case. The slides 34 of each side 5 and 6 of the case are positioned Opposite to each other at the outer end of the case to prevent interference with each other and to prevent accidental operation of both ejectors when one slide is engaged b-y the finger. The side of eac-h magazine opposite from the ejector is formed with a dispensing opening 36.

An apertured reinforcing plate 31 is secured to each side and 6 of the case at its edge pro-i vided with the dispensing opening 36 and is constructed to reinforce the material of the case at the dispensing opening.

The partition l is formed at its free edge with a T-shaped extension plate 33 which lies between the ejector housings 2'? and 28 when the case is closed, and swinging catches 39 and 45 are pivot/ed on each housing 2 and 23 by screws or the like 4l and d2. The inner end of each catch 33 and dS is formed with an offset beveled lip swinging behind the arms il of T-shaped plate 38 to lock the partition i i to both magazines 8 and 9 to hold. the sides of the case closed. The opposite sides of partition i l in the region plate 3S are oifset, as shown at 45 to accommodate the lips 13 of tl e catches during swinging of the outer ends of the catches outwardly at the end of the case to release the magazine for opening the case, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The outer ends of catches 33 and iii are formed with nger gripping heads 45 and each catch is formed with a button il for snapping in a recess 48 in its attached ejector housing 2l' or 28. Each housing is also formed with a recess 49 to accommodate the heads of pivots dl and 52 and lips i3 of an opposite catch 39 or L-ii to permit dat closing of the sides of the case.

In the operation of the device, sections 5 and 8 of the case swing on hinge 7 into open and closed position, and cigarettes are loaded rst in one of the magazines 8 or 9 and partition H is then swung into position over the loaded magazine and latched by swinging catch 39 or 48 engaging T-plate 38 at the free edge of the partition.

During loading of the cigarettes the followers 19 in each magazine are held at the inner end thereof by catch 2li holding legs I4 and l5 of spring i3 locked to each other, and when partition l l is closed over the loaded magazine tongue 26 is depressed to release catch 24 and the spring actuated follower I9 then feeds the cigarettes toward the dispensing end of the magazine. After the second magazine is loaded the closing of the case causes engagement of tongue 26 With partition Il to likewise release its follower.

A cigarette is partially ejected from opening 3S of either magazine by moving its related slide 34 along the end of the case to the limits of slot 35 and then released and the cigarette may then be grasped and removed either with the lips or fingers of a person.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A cigarette case comprising a tray-like cigarette magazine and cover means therefor, said magazine having a dispensing opening at one end, and cigarette feed means in the magazine and comprising a V-shaped leaf spring pivoted at the end of one of its legs in the magazine and with its other leg acting on the cigarettes to move the same toward the opening of the magazine, and means carried by one leg of the leaf spring and engageable with the other leg of the leaf spring for locking the legs of the spring to each other to hold the same inactive.

2. A cigarette case comprising a pair of traylike sections forming cigarette magazines and hingedly connected to each other at one end for opening and closing movement with the open sides of the magazines opposed to each other, a partition hinged at the hinged ends of the magazine separating the cigarettes of one magazine from the other and swingable' as a unit with either magazine, cigarette feed means in each magazine and comprising a V-shaped leaf spring pivoted at the end of one of its legs in' the' magazine and with its other leg acting on the cigarettes to move the same toward the free end of the magazine, means locking the legs of the' spring to each other to hold the same inactive, and including means actuated by engagement thereof With the partition during relative movement of the latter to release the locking means, and ejecting means at the free end of each magazine for ejecting the foremost cigarette from an opening therein.

3. A cigarette case including a substantially flat magazine having a dispensing opening in one edge, and cigarette feed means in the magazine and comprising a V-shaped leaf spring having the free end of one of its legs pivoted to the magazine, an elongated follower positioned in the magazine behind cigarettes therein and engaged by the free end of the other leg of the spring to feed the cigarettes toward the dispensing opening of the magazine, a channeled guide track in one side of the magazine, a T-shaped slide at one end of the follower sliding in the guide track, and a shoe projecting rearwardly from the T-shaped slide at right angles to the latter and riding in the track to maintain the follower substantially parallel to the cigarettes.

JOHN WEIGLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name i Date 1,131,356 ODonnell Mar. 1S, 1915 1,167,110 Poeppel Jan. 4, 1916 1,278,879 Denemark Sept. 17, 1918 1,305,699 Denemark June 3, 1919 1,379,659 Talbot May 31, 1921 1,672,032 Hughes June 5, 1928 1,901,784 Suez Mar. 14, 1933 2,057,926 Sinclair Oct. 20, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 118,241 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1918 217,536 Great Britain June 19, 1924 

